6321/Of all the bars in all the world, you walk into...
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| Of all the bars in all the world, you walk into... | |
|---|---|
| Date of Scene: | 24 May 2021 |
| Location: | Long Night Bar |
| Synopsis: | Brun just wanted a drink. Vin wanted a quiet negotiation with her contact. A bunch of bikers wanted to score some action. Some days, nobody gets what they want... |
| Cast of Characters: | Vintridr, Brunnhilde
|
- Vintridr has posed:
Brunnhilde is banned from Josie's. Again. Since she wasn't the one who started the bar fight this time, it's only a relatively brief one, but Josie can't turn a profit if there's severe property damage every other night, so for now Brun has to do her drinking elsewhere.
The Long Night Bar lacks Josie's particular ambience, and doesn't even have a pool table, but the bartender at least knows not to argue with someone who pays for her drinks with cash, and it has a reputation for keeping things discreet.
... It's actually that last quality that has drawn Vin here, to meet with a contact. She hadn't intended to skip town again for at least another decade, but Sif's appearance has started the odd looks and questions ahead of schedule, which means she's going to need a new set of forged papers.
To his credit, Marcus hadn't even batted an eye at her appearance, despite it being the same as the last time they talked nearly ten years ago, and he's not easily swayed by her arguments either as he shakes his head. "Look, 'Vin'. It's not a matter of not wanting to help, but you can only rush these things so much. Fast, cheap, discreet, solid -- pick any two. That's how it is."
Vin nods reluctantly. "... I guess that's fair. At least there's aren't any outstanding warrants you need to deal with, so that'll be less work to wipe, so..." Negotiations continue, occasionally interrupted by refills.
- Brunnhilde has posed:
Sometimes, Brunnhilde finds herself needing to leave her local haunts in Hell's Kitchen. There are bars beyond Josie's, but...there are tabs to pay. Sometimes, okay always, she could use another drink. It's not like this place makes it easy on a Asgardian to get drunk. There's a indifference emanating from the former warrior as she steps to the bar, making her way toward one of the forgotten corners of it.
Still, being of the female persuasion, forgotten corner or not, it isn't long before Brunnhilde is pulling out her cash for the bartender. "Yes. Not just the bottle. A new bottle." She includes a hefty tip to keep any questions low.
Brunnhilde doesn't bother taking in her surroundings. It's a bar, on Midgard. There are way more dangerous places in the realms. She tests her seating before giving it the real test of her weight.
- Vintridr has posed:
There's the usual lull in conversations that happens when a stranger enters, but it mostly picks back up almost immediately.
... Emphasis on 'Mostly'; the guys in biker leathers who were clustered around the arcade machine haven't gone back to their game; instead they're looking Brunnhilde over and muttering to each other, occasionally elbowing one another and sniggering.
They're not making a move yet, waiting for her to soften herself up -- scavengers rather than true hunters.
- Brunnhilde has posed:
"It's the bottle or nothing. Your choice," Brunnhilde offers with a thin grin. The bartender decides to do the sale, maybe to just see what might happen. He brings her a glass which he insists she use.
"Fine. Bring four more glasses," Brunnhilde grumps as she pours out the first glass...then the others as they arrive. Three are knocked down like shots. She sniffs and looks over her shoulder at the bikers and rolls her eyes.
- Vintridr has posed:
The bikers aren't sure what to make of that any more than the bartender is - but apparently they lack the wits for proper caution. One of them, probably the leader, wanders over with the others in tow, looking Brun over up close and then taking a deliberate glance at the glasses and the bottle.
"That looks like an awful lot of drink for one lovely lady to drink up by her lonesome," he ventures, in a tone that he probably intended to come over as friendly, while his 'friends' chat up the bartender for details on her drink purchases.
- Brunnhilde has posed:
Brunnhilde stays still and doesn't answer at first. She knocks back one more, leaving one poured out on the bar. "Let me guess. You're volunteering to help with that."
"If you touch me or my drink, you will regret it." Brunnhilde warns with complete ease. "Do we have an understanding?" She doesn't bother looking up at the guy. She came here to drink in peace, but sometimes peace has to be paid for in more ways than one.
- Vintridr has posed:
"Aw, c'mon, dont be like that," the man drawls. "Just tryin' to be friendly here." He essays another friendly smile, which would be a lot more convincing if he weren't trying to leer suggestively at the same time. "We figured a girl like you wouldn't be drinking in a place like this if she didn't really want to find some friends, and well... We're thought we'd be friendly."
There are some muted sniggers from his hangers-on; apparently this is what passes for clever banter in these circles.
- Brunnhilde has posed:
Brunnhilde tilts her head to the side, giving her neck a little crack. She sighs. "Wow. Thank you for your lovely repartee." Calmly she continues, low, "You 'figured' wrong. I came to drink in peace."
Past tense.
Brunnhilde knocks back the last drink and smashes the glass into the leader's face...by the looks of it she's actually aiming for his mouth. She's heard enough from him.
- Vintridr has posed:
To his credit, he saw the swing coming in time to /start/ to duck, but he's several centuries too young and too slow to successfully do so. The glass smashes into his cheek instead, shattering on his cheekbone and lacerating the side of his face with some nice scars he'll be able to lie about later. Unfortunately, his comrades don't seem to be able to take the hint and two of them advance with raised fists and mayhem in their eyes while a third holds a moment to grab a chair to swing with -- and winds up bumping into a waiter who winds up spilling the drinks he was carrying all over two other patrons, who appear to take it personally.
In the back, Vin's head had shot up the moment she first heard that distinct accent, and her eyes track the elements of the impending brawl, resting a moment on its focus before turning back to Marcus. "We'll have to suspend these negotiations. Make yourself scarce while there's still time, we'll speak again later."
With that, she rises out of her chair with a quiet grace she usually goes to some effort to disguise and heads toward the center of the brawl...
- Brunnhilde has posed:
So much for putting this down as quickly and quietly as possible. "I seriously-" Brunnhilde doesn't bother grabbing anymore props. She simply socks the first guy in the solar plexus so hard it /will/ leave a bruise. She has to be delicate with these humans. From her ducked position, she kicks out at the side of the nearest knee which is of course the other guy coming in to clobber her with his fists.
With the briefest reprieve, Brunnhilde grabs her bottle and drinks straight from it while fending off any new incoming attacks, preferring KOs at this point to the brutality of anything like a knife, bottle, or the like.
"Come on. That's all you got? I thought you were friendly in these parts."
- Vintridr has posed:
Mortals are really terribly fragile. One measly kick to the knee and they lose their balance, dropping the chair onto - and partway through - a table, whose occupants are rightly upset at the sudden loss of their food and drink, only to get interrupted by another biker; from there on matters rapidly devolve into a free-for-all while the bartender has ducked behind his bar and is probably already calling the local constabulary.
Three more bikers move in on Brunnhilde, but before they can get into swinging range the one who had kept half their body shielded from view by his compatriots is suddenly yanked backwards with a scream of pain as a woman with very distinct features effortlessly lifts his wrist above his head, twisting and squeezing until he relinquishes the knife he was holding.
"Didn't your parents teach you it's rude to bring a knife to a bar fight?" Vin asks rhetorically, then gently tosses him a half dozen meters into the arcade machine.
- Brunnhilde has posed:
One more swig. Brunnhilde sets her bottle down and is about to grab the first guy when..well, "Huh." She watches the taller woman deal with her quarry as she grabs the next brute's fist to give it a swift cracking twist. The third is ducked, well. Brunnhilde ducks into a swift sweep with her leg.
"Who are you?" she asks on her way back to try and get her bottle. She keeps watching the woman out of the corner of her eye. The way she moves, how she reacts. "You have training."
- Vintridr has posed:
"Training, and the sense not to start a bar fight," Vin points out, sidestepping a swung bottle from behind her and casually decking its owner without taking her eyes off of Brun. "On which note, the proprietor is calling the cops as we speak; you'll forgive me if I don't introduce myself within his earshot when we should be leaving."
- Brunnhilde has posed:
"I'll make a path." Brunnhilde grunts and grabs her bottle since it is time to leave. She checks the next incoming guy against the bar. He crumples to his feet as Brunnhilde efficiently makes her way through. She's not waiting for Vin and she never looks back. Either she will keep up or not, in Brunnhilde's mind.
"I just wanted to get a damn..." THUMP another guy drops, "drink."
Finally she busts out into the back alley. But it's not like they're free. People still want to smash her face against the pavement. "So who are you?"
- Vintridr has posed:
... Not just general combat training; Vin falls in on Brunnhilde's right flank with the ease of long experience, maintaining formation -- just enough distance to be able to swing a sword if need be, but close enough to come into guard position with a single long step.
She makes quick work of the pursuit, dealing with the last by slamming the bar's door into his face twice in the process of closing it. "My name is Vintridr, although here on Midgard I go by 'Vinnie' to most who think they know me these days. And yourself?"
- Brunnhilde has posed:
"Brunnhilde." She doesn't sound surprised at 'Midgard' being casually tossed out given all of the things Brunnhilde didn't really care to hide in her fighting. To pass for a human would take a bit more discretion.
There's a silence that stretches as Brunnhilde keeps her eyes on Vintridr. "You never saw me," Brunnhilde finally says as she turns on her heel and walks down the alley, finishing off her bottle in one pull.
- Vintridr has posed:
That name definitely gets a reaction. Brunnhilde can see the other woman's eyebrows jump toward her hairline in surprise, as well as the quick mental calculus. No Asgardian who knows the history of that name would be foolish enough to claim it. If Vin were still clinging to the myth of the All-father's infallibility, this would have severely shaken her worldview. As it is... Brunnhilde's follow-up comment and departure confirm her own suspicions, and she decides to forego judgement and questions for now. Still...
"... Should you have need, the staff of the Coffee Bean knows how to contact me," she calls out before Brunnhilde moves out of earshot -- and then it's time for Vin herself to fade, before those approaching sirens get any closer.
